Erlangen 2022 – scientific programme
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AGA: Arbeitsgruppe Physik und Abrüstung
AGA 1: Missiles and Hypersonic Weapons
AGA 1.1: Invited Talk
Wednesday, March 16, 2022, 14:00–14:45, AGA-H19
Missile Hype: Modelling the Performance of Hypersonic Boost-Glide Weapons — •Cameron Tracy1 and Wright David2 — 1University of Stanford — 2MIT, Boston
Hypersonic weapons comprise an emerging class of missile technologies*maneuverable vehicles that carry warheads through the atmosphere at more than five times the speed of sound. They have recently garnered a great deal of interest due to claims of their advantages over existing missiles, including ostensibly unmatched speed and the ability to evade early warning sensors and interceptors. But absent rigorous, independent technical assessment, their precise capabilities remain uncertain and controversial. To elucidate the performance of these weapons, we report the results of computational modelling of hypersonic missile flight. Our analysis shows that the fundamental physics of hypersonic flight (including extreme atmospheric drag and aerothermal heating) severely constrain the performance of these missiles. Comparison with the performance of existing ballistic missiles reveals that many claims regarding the purported advantages of hypersonic weapons lack a clear technical basis.